The neighbor’s dog came over to visit and Nancy prayed it wouldn’t water her flowers. She hurried to the screen door. “Time to go home now, Skip. Think you should go home now.” It was like being yelled at by Mary Poppins.

Nancy was just so genuinely nice and warm hearted, even when she was shoo-ing the dog out of her yard.

Exploringthe History of Harbor Springs

The Harbor Springs Historical Society is a fun step back in time with photos detailing everything from the Native Americans to the industry surrounding the Shay locomotive and its impact on the timber industry.

Also well documented is the automobile and how it changed the tourism industry along the shoreline.

Below is a photo of the Harbor Springs Police Chief directing traffic from a crane.

Courtesy Virgil D. Haynes

Courtesy Virgil D. Haynes

Harbor Springs also had a committed retail industry.

Rose Rosenthal was a fixture at her Main Street clothing store for 60 years.

Courtesy Harbor Light Newspaper

Rose started in Business with her husband Phil in 1923. She was not only known for her ability to make the sale but also for passing out homemade fudge to her customers.

The Mayberry atmosphere of Harbor Springs hasn’t changed and the homes along the shoreline are elegant with their wraparound portches highlighted by red, white and blue bunting.

LittleTraverse Wheelway

Found a gem of a paved bike trail from Harbor Springs 23.4 miles south to Charlevoix, MI.

The Wheelways runs adjacent to Little Traverse Bay and mostly along M-119.

The path is well marked and scenic. I stumbled upon Beards Brewery in downtown Petosky and purchased a couple 12-ounce Grizzly Adams IPAs for after the ride.

Just down the road was the St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission built in 1859 by Bishop Frederic Baraga.

During a renovation of the church in 2005 there were 60 graves found around the church.

Many of the graves were marked with white crosses. Mass is still held on Sunday at the church.

Just before reaching my destination of Charlevoix, there was this adorable little cherry stand.

$5 a pint…. and, yes, I paid the man.

Wrapped up the day on almost a mile-long boardwalk as I rolled into Charlevoix.

A note of thanks to Community Reform Church in Charlevoix for providing a safe space to stay.

Nanc! Great to hear from u. You were my best stay so far this tour. I SO appreciated your hospitality and trust – pulling someone out of a library. See what happens when you have faith. Rewarding for both of us. Keep in touch. Headed to Ludington and the USS Badger.

Museum of Wisconsin Art

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